Air Pollution Makes It Harder for Bees to Sniff Out Flowers
Source: https://e360.yale.edu/
A team of British researchers exposed fields of black mustard to differing levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides, which are emitted with diesel exhaust, and observed the effect on local pollinators, including bees, moths, hoverflies, and butterflies. Scientists found a 14 to 31 percent reduction in pollination among plants exposed to polluted air. The findings suggest that air pollution could be a factor in the global decline of bees, which has been linked to the use of pesticides, herbicides, and rising carbon dioxide levels, and poses a significant threat to agriculture. “The findings are worrying because these pollutants are commonly found in the air many of us breathe every day,” said James Ryalls, a research fellow at the University of Reading and lead author of the study.